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Peony family
Paeoniaceae
ใใฟใณ็ง
A monotypic family of about 30 species in the genus Paeonia, distributed in temperate Eurasia and northwestern North America. In Japan, Paeonia japonica, P. obovata, and P. lactiflora occur. Formerly included in Ranunculaceae but now treated as a separate family.
Key Characteristics
- โPetals 5 to many, large and showy
- โStamens numerous
- โCarpels 2โ5, enclosed by a fleshy floral disc
- โSeeds large, with an aril
- โPerennial herbs or deciduous shrubs
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values โ multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Compound
Venation
Palmate
Leaf margin
Entire
Growth form
Shrub / Herb
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Compound type
Ternate
Stipules
Absent
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
Many
Petal fusion
Fused
Ovary position
Superior
Stamen count
3-4
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core eudicots > Saxifragales > Paeoniaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene (approx. 70 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ใปPhylogenetic isolation as a monotypic family separated from Ranunculaceae
- ใปDevelopment of a fleshy floral disc (nectariferous tissue)
Plants in Peony family on this site
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